Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on Friday hinted that the alliance talks with the Congress had reached a dead end. “The time for alliance talks is almost over. It’s now or never,” he said after reaching Patna.
Prasad had been in New Delhi recently to get the Congress together
to decide on an alliance. That, however, did not come off. Party sources said RJD could now contest all the 40 seats in Bihar.

“There will be latbandhan (wrestling) with the Congress and I am going to the poll arena,” Prasad told reporters.

Sources said RJD was upset by the fact that the Congress was not willing to let go of seats like Bhagalpur, Madhubani, East Champaran, Begusarai, Nawada, Jehanabad and Patliputra — all which the RJD considers its ‘winning seats’.

However, the tussle over Madhubani and Nawada was the real bone of contention, since Congress would like to field its senior leader Shakeel Ahmad and Akhilesh Prasad Singh from there. The RJD has been claiming Madhubani seat for senior party leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui and Nawada for Raj Ballabh Yadav.

A section of high profile Congressmen have also been against the alliance and would like the party go alone than risk Prasad’s scam tainted alliance.